Bears notes: Bears injury situation much better than Seattle's

Wednesday

Sep 23, 2009 at 12:01 AMSep 23, 2009 at 11:22 PM

The Bears held defensive end Alex Brown out of practice Wednesday, but have a huge injury edge over Sunday’s opponent. The Bears are expected to miss linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa and backup tight end Desmond Clark, but coach Lovie Smith said he hopes Brown will play. Seattle, on the other hand, listed 13 players on its injury report Wednesday.

Staff reports

The Bears held defensive end Alex Brown (sprained knee) out of practice Wednesday, but have a huge injury edge over Sunday’s opponent.

The Bears are expected to miss linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee) and backup tight end Desmond Clark (rib), but coach Lovie Smith said he hopes Brown will play. Seattle, on the other hand, listed 13 players on its injury report Wednesday.

“We’re OK. Well, not really,” Seahawks coach Jim Mora Jr. said on a teleconference. “We’re a little beat up, but that’s the way the NFL goes.”

Six-time All-Pro tackle Walter Jones (knee) and receiver Deion Branch (hamstring) missed Seattle’s first two games but returned to practice Wednesday and participated fully. But quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (rib) and star linebacker Lofa Tatupu (hamstring), among others, are questionable.

Smith and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler both find it hard to believe Hasselbeck could play through his rib injury.

“As much torque as you put on your body throwing the ball, and your hips, it would be tough, it would be really tough,” Cutler said.

Seneca Wallace, who threw for 1,532 yards last year subbing for Hasselbeck, will start if Hasselbeck can’t.

Bears return plans

Rookie Johnny Knox gave free safety Danieal Manning a break returning kickoffs last week and will “probably” keep that job Sunday after returning two kicks for 41 yards, including a longer one that was called back by a penalty.

“We have a lot of options,” Lovie Smith said, “but Johnny did a good job. Closer to game time, we’ll make the decision, but both of them are capable.”

Smith, though, has no plans to give his other returner a break. Devin Hester, who struggled on returns last year after being elevated to a starting receiver, has returned four punts for a modest 7.3 average.

While the Bears are skeptical that Hasselbeck can play, they do expect to see Tatupu, a first-team All-Pro in 2007.

“He’s an elite player,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “If he’s not there, that makes a difference, but I think he’ll be out there. He has a hamstring. He warmed up last week. So if he thought he could go last week, now he has another week to get better. We’re planning our game plan as if he’s going to be there.”

Matt Trowbridge can be reached at (815) 987-1383 or mtrowbridge@rrstar.com.